This durable bottle has a wide mouth for filling with ice cubes and makes cleaning easier. The BPA-free screw cap includes a sport drinking valve, lanyard cover, and loop. Get one at this link while you can for the low, everyday price of $17.95.

The Kanteen bottle cage is sold separately and is designed to hold the 27oz. bottle securely without damaging it. A standard cage will not fully support the bottle’s height and may damage the exterior. The Klean Kanteen cage is available on our merchandise page for $6.95.

The only requirements: your entry must be 1) cycling themed and 2) no more than 3,000 words, though that limit is not a quota. If you’re in need of guidance or are seeking the tastes of our judging panel, check out the winning stories from 2009 in issues #145 and #146.

Two winners will be chosen, first place and runner-up. Winners will get awesome prizes and have their stories published in Dirt Rag.

Rules

• Entries must include a reference to cycling, preferably mountain biking.
• Entries must be original and previously unpublished.
• Judges’ decisions are final.
• Plagiarism is a crime. Do not plagiarize.
• One entry per person. No more.
• Word count limit is 3,000 words.
• Mail-in entries only.

Entry Guidelines
Include one cover page with title, name and contact information. Do not place personal information, such as name or address, anywhere on the article itself. Entries will not be returned. Send to Dirt Rag Literature Contest, 3483 Saxonburg Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. All entries must be postmarked by June 1st, 2010.

Here’s the Fine Print: All entrants grant Dirt Rag the rights to reproduce submitted material in the magazine and on dirtragmag.com. Payment for non-winning entries to be made 30 days after print publication. We assume that all entries are original works and are the property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein. We aren’t liable for copyright infringement on the part of the entrant.

In addition to seminars and networking, the gathering will feature parties and plenty of riding, including a closing day tour of the Forks Area Trail System (FATS), an IMBA Epic.

Online registration for the 2010 IMBA World Summit is open now through May 3rd, 2010. IMBA members, be sure to login to your account before completing the registration form to enjoy special pricing.

The conference will be held at the Augusta Marriott hotel. IMBA has received a limited number of discounted rooms available at a rate of $109 from May 3rd – May 8, 2010. The rooms are first come, first served, so please make your reservations early and stay at the center of the action during the Summit.

For additional information visit: www.imba.com/summit/2010_World_Summit.html.

Our jerseys are made by Voler of their extremely breathable, UV-reflecting SQ Pro fabric and they feature a front zipper, raglan sleeves, and three rear pockets. Available in men’s club cut, and women’s cut (depending on style). Click here to shop….

Usually, when I talk about heading down to Leesburg, VA for a race in the dead of winter with non-mountain bikers, I’m told with varying degrees of vulgarity that I lack intelligence. But I like to think that Plum Grove Cyclery’s Snotcycle is the beginning of my training for one of my favorite events, the Leesburg Bakers Dozen, and there are certainly other measures that better represent my low intelligence.

This is the time of the year that I find myself cursing the cold and wishing for longer days. It’s also the time of the year that I’m starting to think about riding a bike faster. For the past two years now, I have used the last weekend of January to kick off my training for LBD. To those that are unfamiliar with Snotcycle, it’s a weather-be-damned event. This year it’s part of a point series along with 3 other events. Leesburg Bakers Dozen, a 13hr endurance race in April, being one of the 4 events.

The northern Virginia events are a great excuse for me to visit friends and ride bikes. Every race I’ve been to at the Leesburg farm has had a great atmosphere. There’s always plenty of smiles and laughing. Even when snow threatens to shut down our Capital, it couldn’t chill the mood of many of the riders.

Snotcycle is a one-day event that I like to drag out to an entire weekend. I arrived at my friend’s house in Arlington Thursday night and after a small sampling of Belgium beers it was off to bed. Friday began with the promise of another one of our D.C. area traditions – Anita’s. There’s something so great about scrambled eggs, cheese and refried beans with chili sauce in a warm tortilla. Chips and salsa for breakfast? Yes, please.

After the southwestern breakfast it was back for bikes and gear. We stopped at Revolution Cycles for some tubes and hand and feet warmers. Then it was off to The Bike Lane to grab a new lid for my buddy, Matt Mead. (Somehow he lost two.) At The Bike Lane we ran into several employees leaving for the farm who where excited about the prospects of another Snotcycle.

We arrived at the course around 3pm for the pre-ride and found that the ground was hard and fast. It was bone cracking cold and overcast. The two of us met up with The Bike Lane crew and the Leesburg course didn’t disappoint. However, it has changed a bit since last year. In the past the events have alternated directions each year. This year the race was clockwise, but the length of farm road near the end of the lap was removed. In place of the road there is new single track through the pines and along rt.15. This was a fantastic addition. I was a big fan of the course and even more so now. More flowy singletrack is always nice.

Bill learned the importance of torque wrenches.

After the ride it was Thai food and an early night. The next morning we woke to an inch of snow and nickel sized flakes kept dropping. No worries, I thought. I borrowed a pair of Nokian studded tires from our editor, Karen. I brought an extra set of wheels in anticipation of changing conditions. The Nokian studs were meant to mount a pair of Bontrager Rhythm wheels. I have been riding a pair of Shimano XT wheels, reviewed in #142, tubeless and was going to swap wheels if the conditions got icy. Unfortunately I can’t report on the benefits of studded tires. The tire and rim pairing just wasn’t cooperating and the plan was abandoned. After an exerted effort it seemed better to actually make it to the race on time.

By the time we left for the venue there was easily an inch of snow on the ground. When we arrived at the race, there was two inches, and it wasn’t slowing. I regretted not trying harder to get those tires on. Prior to the 1pm singlespeed start, several hundred tires had been compacting snow on the course. There were definitely sections which studded tires could have benefitted riders. Oh well, I thought.

As I waited for the singlespeed line up by one of the bonfires, I couldn’t help revel in the setting. Frigid temps and heavy snow certainly befitted the title of Snotcycle.

My race was more of a ride with a fast group. After dropping my bike several times and one bad crash, I ended up content with my low gear ratio. The other riders I knew at the event had smaller rear cogs giving them a higher gear ratio. I didn’t see them after the start. (At least that’s why I’m telling myself I didn’t see them.) I finished my two laps and headed straight for the warmth of the fire and some hot chocolate. It wasn’t much longer before I was laughing with friends and tipping a beer.

The Leesburg events seem to embody much of the grassroots camaraderie and ambience of historic mountain biking. Despite the weather, 292 racers were timed at this year’s Snotcycle. And proven by the 58min registration window for this year’s Baker’s Dozen, the word is spreading quickly that there’s some extremely fun singletrack along the Potomac.

Coming from a city that has a notorious reputation for snow, it was astonishing how little capacity there seemed to be for accommodating the frozen precipitation. Combined with the motorists who obviously were not used to dealing with winter conditions, the ride home from the venue was treacherous. But we had big plans for the night.

I have been to northern Virginia on several occasions over the last couple years, but have never made the effort to travel into Washington D.C. Saturday night our plan was to take the metro to The Mall and get some pics of the capital monuments for this blog post. Well, we traveled there, but that’s about it. Walking to the surface from the Smithsonian metro stop, we were greeted by snow and even colder wind then previously that day. I took a couple lame pictures, east then west, only a few yards from the entrance of metro, and then scurried back underground. We hopped another couple trains and warmed up with some international beers at Brickskeller.

Thanks to Go Time Racing for providing computer timing for all the racers, and as always, thank you to Plume Grove Cyclery, the Brown Family and Rockland Farm for another great time.

Race Results: click here.

Race Pics: http://www.pingelphoto.com/

Dirt Rag

Dirt Fest will be a fun mountain biking festival, featuring 32 miles of prime singletrack for a weekend of great riding. Camping will be available. We invite you to come and join the festivities, demo mountain bikes and check out the latest products in the industry expo area.

IMBA will be on hand to teach trail building clinics and advocacy, and other club events will take place.

Dirt Rag will be bringing the flavor of hops and barley as we host a Pennsylvania beer tasting event, complete with brew techniques and history. Other entertainment and spectacles will follow.

The cost for attending is $30 per person including two nights of primitive camping at Susquehannock Campground or $15 for the weekend without camping.

Visit dirtfest.blogspot.com for more information on Dirt Fest (and/or to contact the promoters about getting your company or organization involved in the expo area, or as an event sponsor). If you’re ready to rock and roll, click here for registration.

Dirt Rag’s Dirt Fest is brought to you by Dirt Rag, IMBA, Raystown Mountain Bike Association, Rothrock Outfitters, and the Friends of Raystown Lake.